The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) highlighted the strength of the U.S. solar job market in the face of high nationwide unemployment. The announcement was made at Solar Power International 2010, North America’s largest business-to-business solar conference and exhibition.

The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit research and policy organization, released “National Solar Jobs Census 2010: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce.” This first-ever review of national solar employment identified more than 16,700 solar employment sites and 93,000 solar jobs in all 50 states. Additionally, the report found that solar employers expect to increase the number of solar workers by 26 percent, representing nearly 24,000 net new jobs by August 2011.

Complementing the National Solar Jobs Census 2010, SEIA launched www.SolarWorksforAmerica.com to showcase the extraordinary work of real people in the solar industry. The website features state-by-state solar-employment data, solar companies information, and the personal stories and photos of local workers.

The site includes a series of webisodes produced by the trade group. The Solar Generation USA Road Trip chronicles a film crew traveling cross-country, touring solar installations and manufacturing sites, and interviewing workers and solar clients along the way.

“Over the past 10 years, a strong and vibrant solar industry has emerged through innovation, market forces and smart government policies to create thousands of jobs across the value chain from manufacturing and engineering, construction and sales, to installation and other supporting industries,” said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO. “This unprecedented census of jobs in the industry and the individual stories behind Solar Works for America illustrate that solar is indeed working for America in all 50 states and will only continue to grow stronger.”